If the Bills are hunting for a sturdier answer behind their starting five, Jamaree Salyer looks like the kind of name that deserves real attention.
The case is pretty straightforward: Buffalo needs help at guard and, even more so, tackle depth, and the current swing-tackle situation is shaky. Right now, the presumed option is third-year pro Tylan Grable, who has just 146 regular-season snaps on his NFL résumé. Most of that work has come in Week 18 over the last two seasons.
That’s not a huge sample, and the recent signs haven’t done much to quiet the concern. Grable missed the preseason opener after dealing with an injury in camp, then returned a week ago in Cleveland and did not look especially equipped to handle Browns edge pressure in the preseason.
Swing tackles around the league aren’t supposed to be starters, but Buffalo can’t exactly feel secure about Grable if his number gets called during the season. There’s still a lot of uncertainty around the former sixth-round pick.
Salyer fits the same draft round as Grable, but he brings far more mileage. Counting the playoffs, he has 67 NFL games under his belt.
He also has the kind of frame that makes him an easy fit on the interior at 6’4” and 325 pounds, though he measured 6’3” at the 2022 NFL Combine. He was a college tackle, but the feeling at the time - mine included - was that guard would be his best spot in the league.
The Chargers didn’t have the luxury of easing him in there. After Rashawn Slater went down in Week 3 of Salyer’s rookie year, Los Angeles had to throw him at left tackle, and he handled it well. From Week 4 on, he protected Justin Herbert’s blind side and even held up in the wild-card game against the Jaguars.
That first season was the high point. Salyer played 1,029 snaps as a rookie and was a welcome surprise, especially in pass protection. The only game in which he didn’t allow a pressure was his first appearance in Week 4, and he gave up more than five pressures in only one game all year.
In 2023, he settled in at right guard and played every game there for the Chargers, piling up 1,144 snaps. He lost his starting job before the 2024 season, but he still saw time at left tackle, right tackle and right guard.
Last season, Salyer logged 509 snaps for Los Angeles across those three spots and allowed a career-low 22 pressures.
There’s also a built-in connection to Buffalo. Salyer blocked next to Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and opened holes for James Cook at Georgia.
The only real question is health. He signed a one-year deal with Miami in March, then landed on injured reserve with a knee injury on August 16.
Nobody knows exactly where he stands physically or when that knee will be all the way back. But if the Bills want a more dependable option at tackle and guard before the regular season starts, Salyer should be strongly considered.
In Other News...
Bills Fans Missed A Damar Hamlin Moment That Suddenly Matters
During the Bills preseason win over the Steelers, a broadcast camera error meant viewers never saw the play where Damar Hamlin came up with an interception, even though it ended up being one of the more notable moments of the night. The NFL later posted a clip of the takeaway, and the reaction that followed said as much about Hamlins standing as it did about the missed shot on television: a safety trying to carve out a roster role while the game keeps giving him chances to make a case.
Hamlin has now logged interceptions in each of his last two games, which turns a missed broadcast moment into something the Bills cant really ignore. It also added another layer to a preseason game already carrying some position battles, with Steelers quarterback Will Howard in his own competition for the job. For Buffalo, the bigger picture is straightforward enough: Hamlin is making plays at a time when every snap is supposed to matter, even if one of the clearest ones never made it to the screen. [Read more 🡒]
Kaiir Elam Is Facing Another Brutal Reality Check After Buffalo
Roster cutdown week always turns up a few reminders about how quickly an NFL career can turn, and Kaiir Elam is staring at another one. The former Bills first-round cornerback was traded out of Buffalo, spent time with Dallas and Tennessee, then landed with the Chiefs this offseason as he tried to reset his trajectory with a fresh start and a contenders depth chart.
Now the clock is ticking toward Sundays 53-man roster deadline, and a report from Arrowhead Addict suggests Elam may be running out of room in Kansas City after an uneven preseason. For Buffalo fans, it is the familiar what-if attached to a once-promising draft pick, and another example of how unforgiving the league can be when a player never quite finds the footing his draft slot promised. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Fans Will Notice A New Addition At Highmark Stadium
The Bills got their first taste of the new Highmark Stadium in Saturdays 28-27 preseason win over the Steelers, and Josh Allen was there to take it in from the sideline even though he did not play. Fans also got a reminder that the teams new building is already leaning into the moment, with Allens wife, Hailee Steinfeld, in attendance and sharing a look at one of the stadiums newest concessions.
Steinfeld posted on Instagram about her Angel Margarita being available at the stadium, a small but notable addition for a fan base still getting acquainted with its new home. It also came in a busy year for the couple, who were recently married and welcomed a daughter earlier in 2026, adding another layer of interest anytime the Allens show up around the Bills. [Read more 🡒]